Quote: Ingrid Rosenquist

 Quote: Jennifer Mullen

Steve, I've said it before, but we need an 'eating popcorn' emoticon here!

How about beer and popcorn :-p

it's the emoticon of my life!!!!!!!

Everybody has to start somewhere. We are just looking for info to become better educated. Remember, there are no stupid questions. Didn't you guys learn that in school? However,the last thing this world needs is another backyard breeder who doesn't do genetic testing or know the 4th and 5th generation of the pedigree or even the breed standard. And how else to you get involved in a dog sport other than to join a club? I'm open to suggestions.

You need more than beer and popcorn to hang on this forum, a shot of whisky or tequila and beer nuts is more like it! (Hey, how come my icons never show up??)

This has nothing to do with learning schutzhund. It has to do with having a female you want to breed because she's in season. Nothing was posted about why this female should be bred, just looking for a male. A working line male.(They're not usually found at dog shows) I think it qualifies as a stupid question. If his female had any qualifications for being bred he would know people with males or males they could recommend. He would know enough not to randomly search around forums. With breeding, thats not how you start.

I have to agree with Steve. Not my area of expertise, but for your first post to be about looking for a male to breed your female too? Without mention of OFAs, health certs, temperament, titles, etc etc? Raises a whole lot of flags to me.

Frankly, and again, this isn't an area of expertise, but from the little I've seen of dog sports (and I would imagine it's true of working dogs not doing sport), if your dog is breed-worthy, and titled/working in a sport - wouldn't you be finding other dogs to breed yours to through people at the club, at trials, from knowing each other in the sport or working community, watching their dogs, and seeing what they bring to the table? That you go onto a forum looking for a dog to breed to strikes me as a HUGE warning flag, and to me, at risk of being speedily judgemental, would be enough for me to write the person off as a BYB, or someone monumentally unprepared to responsibly breed. (and people with experience with working/sport dogs and breeding them can jump in if I'm wrong there)

eta: i guess too, i look at this from the perspective of having two rescue GSDs. and look at luc....i love him, he's great, but as a GSD? i affectionately call him an embarrassment to the breed whoever his parents were....they were not bred for the right reasons.

 Quote: Jerry Aldridge

I live near the Huntsville. My female will be in season in about 3 months. She is working bloodline so need male of same. Any suggestions in my area.

Jerry you`re probably a nice guy. The first question anybody serious will as you for is all the health certs, then what titles she has (working titles), then a pedigree going back 5 or more generations and after and if I would ask you why you think she is worthy of breeding and if breeding her will better the breed.
There are a lot of quality breeders out there. When you consider the investment and time to do it properly it`s not a moneymaker but a passion.
I have found it best to leave it to the pros.

Sorry Steve,I thought a response was directed towards my comment about Schutzhund. I have met people at dog shows who did breed from working lines, so I was told, and were showing dogs. However, I know nothing about breeding or showing dogs so I don't know how reputable these breeders were or if they were yanking my chain or not.

Sorry I am not educated as some of you. I am not just another backyard breeder. I don't intend on breeding my dog for the sake of making money . My female is from a true German blood line and working back ground titled in Germany. I have been studying GSD for 4 years. I know that does not make me an expert as some of you are. Sorry I disturbed your judgemental world.

Get used to it.

We're concerned for the future of the breed, and the dogs you may bring into the world.

If you aren't breeding for money, what are you breeding for?

At a minimum, you should have posted your bitches pedigree, hip certs and titles.
When suggested that you do so, your response is a bad attitude?

We probably do come off as hostile. But given that almost all of us have seen the results of less-than-ideal breedings and/or irresponsible breeders... I think our reactions are justified.

Like many things in the world, Jerry, you have to earn people's respect. It's not freely given. Especially when you want to breed.

Jerry asked a question. His entire post is four short sentences. Maybe he is a BYB, maybe he isn't. His post may justify some skepticism, because of what he left out, but it doesn't justify judgment.

We don't know if he has lived in Huntsville all his life or recently moved there and doesn't know anyone. We don't know if he has bred before or if this is his first breeding. We don't know anything about the pedigree of his dog because he didn't post it.

I don't know how breeders get in touch with each other. Is there a national breeder registry? I always thought it was a word of mouth kind of thing. I also assume, maybe wrongly, that two breeders who know what they are doing would work out all the health, titling, and pedigree issues between themselves, not on a forum.

Jerry, many of the people on this forum (myself included) believe breeding should only be done to improve the GSD breed. And that it should be left to people who know what they are doing. We don't know anything about you. Maybe you are a breeder of some other breed of dog with a proven track record who is getting into GSDs for the first time. Or maybe you are a BYB who has no business with an un-neutered dog. I can't make a judgment on that because you didn't give me enough information. But I am a little skeptical, for reasons other people mentioned.

Regardless, I will confine myself to the question you asked: No, I don't have any suggestions other than you might want to do a Google search and see if you can find a Schutzhund club in your area. Those people may be able to advise you.

 Quote: Alyssa Myracle

If you aren't breeding for money, what are you breeding for?

There`s the 100K dollar question that still has not been answered. If being blunt and direct is judgmental so be it. You may not be ready to delve deeply into this world where criticism and judgment happens everyday. As a breeder you will be judged and under scrutiny all the time.
Send Ed a PM and ask him about the crap he has to deal with?